Once Upon a Time in Texas
Once Upon a Time in Texas will mainly focus on lore, myth, legend, characters and stories in and around Texas. There will also be random thoughts by your host Michael Mitchell and conversations with guests about the history of Texas and we might even dabble in current events.
Episodes
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
#50 - Outlaw and Lawman, sort of......Judge Roy Bean
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
So, I’ve been on a kick about lawmen, bandits and judges recently and it occurred to me that I think I’ve only briefly touched on Judge Roy Bean. It kind of hit me when I was telling a story last week so I figured I’d share the story with y”all briefly again and then dive a little deeper into this interesting West Texas Character, Judge Roy Bean. He goes along with the theme lately of being both an outlaw and lawman and frankly, his story is kind of hilarious. I mean, you just can't make this stuff up!
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
#49 - A few more outlaws...sort of
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
On episode 48 we did a little digging into two folks that floated onto my radar and learned a little more about them. This week is no different. Here are two more outlaws that were either born or passed through Texas. However, one of them was an outlaw and lawman and at one time, he was both at the same time!
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
#48 - Two Old West Characters
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Have you heard about someone that is legendary and it really piques your interest so you go do a little digging into their story just to see if they are really as interesting as they seem? Well, there are two people we are going to look at today that are even more interesting than previously thought. And both of them are well known BUT kind of always take a backseat to other historical figures.
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
#47 - West Texas Stories
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Have you been around someone that tells stories and you just hang on every word and can’t wait for them to tell the next yarn? I sure have. In my case I was around a bunch of folks like that in my life. I have a few in my family but I met a bunch through my time in the Scouts as a youth, professional and volunteer. And really it is a great thing to be able to share stories, all true of course, with maybe a smidge of exaggeration.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
#46 - Texas Christmas Festivals
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Have you seen a festival, event, celebration or parade and wondered how it got started? I mean there are some obvious ones like Veterans Day, 4th of July, etc but I wonder about some of the Christmas/Holiday Festivals in Texas. So come on a sleigh ride with me and lets look at a few of the big ones.
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
#45 - Unique place names and their history
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Have you ever looked at a town or place name and wondered where on Earth they came up with that? I do that often and tend to look them up just to see what interesting history is behind the name. Often times I am not disappointed. Come with me this week to explore a few and learn a little history.
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
#44 - Texas Grocery Stores
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Have you ever been to a business and wondered where and how they got their start? A lot of folks know about big companies like Harley and Ford in 1903, Jim Beam in 1795, JP Morgan Chase in 1799, Remington Firearms in 1816, Macy’s in 1843 and I’m sure there are a slew of others. Today I want to deep dive into a couple of Texas based businesses that you can really sink your teeth into. The idea to do this podcast has been cooking in my mind for a while. So instead of pushing this cart down the road any further, lets talk about them now.
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
#43 - Texans, Chimpanzees and Elephants - OH MY!
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Have you ever heard a local story or legend and you think “is there really any truth to that”? And then you pull up the old interwebs and boom, there it is in black and white? Well, I have and I am here to tell you that these are two tales that I have heard personally and went down the rabbit hole to bring them to you here. These two stories involve a chimpanzee and an elephant in some very unlikely places.
Once Upon a Time in Texas will focus on lore, myth, legend, characters and stories in and around Texas. There will also be random thoughts by your host Michael Mitchell and conversations with guests about the history of Texas and we might even dabble in current events.
Michael Mitchell is now an Independent Mortgage Loan Originator in Wichita Falls, TX (themichaelmitchell.com). He can do mortgages anywhere in the State of Texas but he has a passion for history and stories.
He has served in a few professions including a 5th, 6th and 7th grade Science Teacher for five years. He also worked professionally for the Boy Scouts of America for 13 years in West Texas and Northwest Texas.
The photos at the top and left on this page are both his. He does a lot of "rusty and crusty" photography as he calls it and can be seen at howlingcoyotephotography.com